She feels helpless and hates that emotion, and she prays endlessly to the Seven Gods, since that is what they want, but it helps not. At first she fights with her guards but they are much stronger than she thought, they keep her up endlessly, never letting her sleep. Exhausted, she comes to know that she must confess. She asks to be taken to the High Septon to confess, there she admits to extra-marital affairs. She says she has slept with Lancel and the Kettleblack brothers. She tells them that she did these things because she was afraid for her children and these were her only means to secure the trust of these men.

The High Sparrow still means to accuse her of high treason, incest, regicide, and deicide, all crimes that Osney Kettleblack admitted Cersei had a part to under torture. She manages to talk her way out of the charges of murdering the previous High Septon and Robert and bearing false witness against the Tyrell girls, and avoids the charges of incest by saying that these were lies that Stannis has made up in order to gain the Iron Throne, which satisfies the High Septon, since the Faith has nothing but contempt for Stannis's 'worship of a red demon'. To get the real truth though the High Septon means to have her tried by the Faith or trial by combat, where Cersei would be represented by a knight of the Kingsguard. He is unsure of all the crimes she has committed so the only way to pick the truth from the false is to let the gods decide.

She is allowed a visit by her uncle Kevan who, though angry with her for corrupting Lancel, answers her questions. He tells her that Jaime is missing after his return from Raventree Hall, having disappeared with an unknown woman, though they assume it is Brienne. There is word of sellswords appearing all over the south, they do not have the strength to deal with them, though Mace Tyrell does. However, he is unwilling to do so until the matter with his daughter Margaery Tyrell is settled. Mace Tyrell is now the Hand, Paxter Redwyne is the king's admiral, and Randyll Tarly is the justiciar. The Tyrells brought up an army when their daughters were seized, though the High Septon has admitted the case against them is weak though.

Kevan brings worse news for Cersei though; he relays Balon Swann's news of Myrcella's loss of an ear, and Arys Oakheart's death. Though Cersei is insistent Myrcella's mutilation is Tyrion's doing, she sees a chance in the open position in the Kingsguard, and asks Kevan to approach Qyburn for a replacement.